Workshop on the Establishment of SEAMEO Centers Policy Research Network (CPRN)

Rationale

The establishment of SEAMEO Centers Policy Research Network (CPRN) is a mandated activity in the SEAMEO College Project design. The main purpose of the CPRN is to enhance relevance and sharpen responsiveness of SEAMEO Centers and the Secretariat to the needs of education leaders for policy research to address regional human resource development issues in Southeast Asia.

The CPRN will be established through a two- or three-day meeting cum workshop that will involve the 21 SEAMEO Centers.  The agenda will focus on the review of current status of the research units/divisions of SEAMEO Centers, as well as identification of issues, gaps, and needs.  The session will also include capacity building sessions where selected SEAMEO Centers and non-SEAMEO experts will be invited to introduce and discuss on practical and forward-looking research approaches and strategies particularly those that attempt to apply social and scientific findings to the solution of problems.

Among others, new topics to be introduced include foresight and future studies, participatory action research (PAR), and other social and policy research practices.

Lastly, the establishment of CPRN will include discussions and agreement on regional, inter-center and multi-center policy research priorities and activities.  Part of this strategy is the creation of an online community of practice (COP) among the SEAMEO Centers, as well as identification of key individuals and SEAMEO Centers that will help accelerate momentum and sustain gains from the establishment of the CPRN.

The SEAMEO College is a very distinct and unique regional platform of education.It differs from any other collegial body, academy, or “brick and mortar” institution. The SEAMEO College promotes education innovation not just in terms of curricula, teaching and learning methods, and new educational technologies, but as a virtual college organized around education leaders, promoting and integrating “indigenous wisdom and talent” into the collective knowledge, expertise, and institutional resources of SEAMEO Centers. The SEAMEO College is animated by generative dialogues for accelerating learning and innovation on transboundary education human resources and development particular to the ASEAN Community.

Chiefly, the SEAMEO College will fulfill the need for a kind of regional institution to specifically supplement the need for support systems of Education Ministers to scientifically anticipate and study transnational issues and threats, as well as to conduct policy studies on transboundary and cross-cutting education/human resources and development (HRD) issues.

The SEAMEO College consists of distinctive components which operate through: 1) a series of forums or four modules; 2) research and development activities; and 3) strengthening of human and technological capacities and connectivity across SEAMEO Centers. These components address specific challenges confronting ministers, high-level education leaders, practitioners and youth leaders in Southeast Asia and the world through human resource development  (http://www.seameocollege.org/w/).